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Counting the Number of Parties: An Alternative Index

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  • Molinar, Juan

Abstract

I propose an alternative index to operationalize the variable number and size of parties in a party system. To support it, I present a critical overview of the two most common indices, Laakso and Taagepera's effective number of parties and Kesselman and Wildgen's hyperfractionalization, showing the causes of their weakness. Then I explain the computational logic of my alternative, “number of parties,” and compare it with the other two, using hypothetical cases. After that, I contrast the Laakso-Taagepera index with mine, using data from actual elections between 1945 and 1981. I conclude that my index outperforms the other two as an operationalization of the variable number and size of parties.

Suggested Citation

  • Molinar, Juan, 1991. "Counting the Number of Parties: An Alternative Index," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 85(4), pages 1383-1391, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:apsrev:v:85:y:1991:i:04:p:1383-1391_18
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    Cited by:

    1. Caulier, Jean-François & Dumont, Patrick, 2005. "The effective number of relevant parties : how voting power improves Laakso-Taagepera’s index," MPRA Paper 17846, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Vani K. Borooah, 2013. "A general measure of the ‘effective’ number of parties in a political system," Chapters, in: Francisco Cabrillo & Miguel A. Puchades-Navarro (ed.), Constitutional Economics and Public Institutions, chapter 8, pages 146-159, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    3. Alberto Diaz-Cayeros & Beatriz Magaloni, 2001. "Party Dominance and the Logic of Electoral Design in Mexico’s Transition to Democracy," Journal of Theoretical Politics, , vol. 13(3), pages 271-293, July.
    4. Jean-François Caulier, 2010. "On the measurement of Fragmentation," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) hal-00633613, HAL.
    5. Canen, Nathan & Ch, Rafael & Wantchekon, Leonard, 2023. "Political uncertainty and the forms of state capture," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    6. Rostislav Turovsky & Marina Sukhova, 2017. "Similar or Different? Exploring the Gap between Federal and Regional Elections in Russia," HSE Working papers WP BRP 55/PS/2017, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    7. Peter Mayer, 2013. "Gross Violations of Duverger’s Law in India," Studies in Indian Politics, , vol. 1(2), pages 179-201, December.
    8. Benny Geys & Bruno Heyndels, 2006. "Disentangling The Effects Of Political Fragmentation On Voter Turnout: The Flemish Municipal Elections," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(3), pages 367-387, November.
    9. Maddah, Majid & Ghaffari Nejad, Amir Hossein & Sargolzaei, Mostafa, 2022. "Natural resources, political competition, and economic growth: An empirical evidence from dynamic panel threshold kink analysis in Iranian provinces," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    10. Jean-François Caulier, 2010. "On the measurement of Fragmentation," Working Papers hal-00633613, HAL.
    11. Roberto Guerrero Compeán, 2008. "Decentralization: Panacea or Pandora’s Box? Fiscal Perversity in Mexico," Ensayos Revista de Economia, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Facultad de Economia, vol. 0(2), pages 89-110, November.
    12. Yuriy O. Gaivoronskiy, 2015. "The Influence of Political Competition on the Efficiency of the Regional Executives in Russia," HSE Working papers WP BRP 28/PS/2015, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    13. Perugini, Francesco, 2024. "Local government efficiency and economic growth: The Italian case," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    14. Jean-François Caulier, 2011. "The Interpretation of the Laakso-Taagepera Effective Number of Parties," Post-Print halshs-00565315, HAL.
    15. D. K. Tinyakov, 2022. "Opportunities for Public Participation Influence on the Russian Waste Management Reform: Statistical Analysis," Administrative Consulting, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. North-West Institute of Management., issue 12.
    16. Abdul Shaban & Shahbaz Khan, 2023. "Cultural diversity, human capital, and regional economic growth in India," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(5), pages 973-991, June.

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